Goodbye, Fuzzy

In case there was any doubt, Satan is alive & well, & was hard at work in my house today. But he missed the memo that Christ has overcome the world, so despite his best efforts, I'm ending the day with a smile.

The day started off ordinarily enough. There has been a decent amount of stress in my life lately. I am the new AWANA Sparks secretary & up until last week, there were no directors in place & the program was in jeopardy of shutting down. Suffice it to say, we are up & running & have been trying to accomplish in 2 weeks what normally takes 2 months. No pressure. The first night of club is tomorrow night.

After our first school session this morning, I decided that it was time for Caleigh to take more responsibility for her hamsters -- Fuzzy & Squeeks. So for her chore for the day, she was going to have to help Mommy clean their cage. I took the hamsters out & noticed that Fuzzy was looking a little mangy. I had noticed this before, but was assured by my hubby that it was nothing to worry about. After seeing her condition close up, I decided that a call to PetSmart was in order. To make a very long story somewhat short, I ended up taking both hamsters down to the store to be looked at.

Warning: Do not continue reading if you are faint of heart!!!

The woman helping us took a look at Fuzzy & immediately knew that something was very wrong. It turns out that Fuzzy must have had a tumor of some sort growing in her belly & it was forcing her intestines out her backside. Very gross.

So at 10:30 this morning, there I was in PetSmart with a sobbing 4-year-old trying to explain the concept of putting a pet down for their own good. But we managed to get through the trauma. Fuzzy is "in Heaven with Jesus" & Tiny has joined our little family.

I'm exhausted & it took us until 7 o'clock tonight to make up all the schoolwork we missed during the hamster saga. But bedtime is not too far away.

Super Schedule & Happy Homeschooler!!

I must admit, I started this new school year (Jason in seminary & Caleigh being homeschooled) with a mix of eagerness & trepidation. I realize that the word "schedule" is a dirty word to some moms, & if flying by the seat of your pants works for you . . . Great!! But with a husband in seminary, a homeschooled preschooler, a rambunctious toddler, & a serious lack in self-discipline (come on girls, you know what I'm talking about -- you could fold laundry, scrub toilets, or wash dishes OR you could lay on the couch with a light breeze from the fan blowing over you while a Lifetime movie plays faintly in the background & you drift in & out of consciousness . . . take your pick), I desperately need a schedule.

So in the few weeks before school started back up, I spend hours pouring over our "2008 Fall Family Schedule." I set up bedtimes, naptimes, mealtimes. I incorporated morning routines, school sessions, & chore times. I squeezed in Family Night, couple time, & snuggle moments. I even created space for trips to the grocery store, the bank, & the library. Jason needed study time, Sunday School prep time, & down time. I needed ministry time, cooking time, & Me Time. And all of it had to be flexible to boot!!!

The true test came on Tuesday -- Jason's first day of classes, Caleigh's first day of school, & the first day of schedule implementation. And to top it all off, we were starting the day with an unscheduled doctor's appointment! But I am pleased to report that the schedule has worked beautifully!!! Sure there were things that we missed here & there. Some things had to be re-worked, but in the end, we have accomplished more in the past 4 days then we have in a long time!! I start the day off with a goal & end the day feeling extremely productive. And the girls have completely embraced their new responsibilities. Yea, Mom!!

And how did homeschooing go, you ask?? I honestly thought it was too good to be true when Caleigh looked at me after our first session on Tuesday (we have 3 sessions of school a day) & said, "Mommy, I don't want to take a break." But 4 days later, I couldn't get over the disappointment on her face when we finished all our schoolwork for today & I told her there was no more work for her to do. As Peyton was playing the pool, Caleigh wanted to stay inside & do schoolwork. I take that as a sign that things are going well :o)

So as I type this, we are having Free Time. Caleigh finished 3 sessions worth of school in just 2 time slots, so we get extra time to play!!!! Yes!!